The Life of a Disciple: A Holistic Picture of Faithful Living
Note Well: This document provides a high-level, big-picture overview of the Christian life—how disciples follow Jesus in all of life. For step-by-step guidance on practicing these rhythms in your relational networks, see Our Approach to Making Disciples.
Introduction
Following Jesus is not meant to feel scattered, complicated, or overwhelming. The New Testament gives us a clear and beautiful picture of life with God—a life shaped by his Word, strengthened through prayer and fasting, lived out in our ordinary relationships, and expressed through simple practices that naturally advance the gospel. This summary brings together the essential elements of faithful Christian living so that every believer, every home, and every church can walk in the apostolic pattern Jesus entrusted to his followers.
Why this matters: A clear picture of the Christian life helps us avoid drifting into activity without purpose or into passivity without obedience. Discipleship is not a scattered list of spiritual tasks—it is a coherent life shaped by God’s presence and God’s mission. When we understand how the Word, prayer, fasting, our everyday relationships, and the five simple practices fit together, we gain confidence, clarity, and joy as we follow Jesus right where we live.
Being a disciple is not about adding more activities to your schedule. It is about letting God shape who you are and how you live in the places he has already planted you.
1. The Center of the Christian Life
Everything begins with the Word, prayer, and fasting—our communion with God.
The Word: God speaks to us through Scripture. We read it daily, study it deeply, meditate on it, memorize it, and obey it. The Word reveals God’s character, defines the gospel, exposes our sin, strengthens our hope, and equips us for every good work.
Prayer: Prayer turns our hearts toward the Father. We praise him, confess sin, ask for provision, seek forgiveness, and ask for protection (Matt. 6:9–13). Prayer anchors our lives in God’s presence and shapes our desires, decisions, and daily responsibilities.
Fasting: Fasting helps us slow down and focus our hearts. Skipping a meal to seek God clarifies our dependence on him and increases our spiritual sensitivity, especially when praying for people who need Christ.
These three practices form the center of everything else. They give life to discipleship, mission, and leadership. Without them, the entire system collapses.
2. The Five Practices of Everyday Disciple-Making
Flowing from the center are five simple practices—the natural rhythms through which discipleship grows and leaders emerge.
Serve – We meet real needs with practical love, earning trust and opening doors for the gospel.
Seek – We look for receptive people (“persons of peace”) whom God has already prepared.
Invite – We invite others to hear the message of Jesus and explore Scripture with us.
Gather – We form simple, participatory gatherings where believers learn, pray, and grow together.
Coach – We walk with others personally, helping them grow in character, obedience, and mission.
These are not programs. They are repeatable, relational practices that any believer can begin immediately.
3. The Contexts Where Faithful Living Happens
Discipleship takes root in the real structures of life—not in a classroom, and not only in formal gatherings. God has placed each of us in five everyday contexts where we can walk with him and bear witness to Christ.
Privately: We cultivate personal holiness, confession, repentance, and joy in God. Faithfulness begins in the heart.
In Families: We lead and love those closest to us—parents, spouses, children, and extended family—with humility and spiritual intentionality.
In Our Local Churches: We gather regularly to hear the Word, take the Lord’s Supper, pray, worship, and build one another up. This is the spiritual home of every disciple.
In Our Neighborhoods: We practice hospitality, kindness, and gospel presence among neighbors, friends, and relational networks.
In Society and the Workplace: We work with integrity, serve others faithfully, and model Christlikeness in our public responsibilities and vocational callings.
These contexts are not competing priorities—they are the places where God has already positioned us to follow Jesus and bless others.
4. Coaching and Support Structures
No one grows alone. Coaching provides the relational support needed for long-term faithfulness.
Individual Coaching and Prayer: One-on-one conversations (men with men, women with women) that help believers strengthen their relationship with God and others, introduce non-Christians to Jesus, learn to make disciples, and take simple steps toward starting and strengthening churches. Each conversation includes Scripture, honest reflection, practical obedience, and prayer for your life and ministry.
Group Coaching and Prayer: A guided time where believers grow together by reviewing key documents, sharing real stories of ministry, and praying intentionally for God’s work in their lives and networks. Group coaching helps disciples clarify the vision, strengthen one another, and practice the habits that lead to faithful evangelism, coaching, and community leadership.
Pastoral Training Program: A regular training that equips men to start, lead, and multiply healthy churches. Through focused training in evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development, participants learn to shepherd 5 to 15 families in their neighborhood with biblical clarity, relational wisdom, and practical skill. The goal is to raise up pastors who can strengthen existing communities, form new gatherings, and guide others to follow Jesus faithfully in all of life.
Together, these structures help disciples grow into maturity and leaders grow into their calling.
Conclusion
The life of a disciple is wonderfully simple: stay close to God, walk faithfully in everyday relationships, love people well, open Scripture often, and help others follow Jesus as you learn to follow him yourself. This holistic picture of faithful living brings together the center (Word, prayer, fasting), the five practices (serve, seek, invite, gather, coach), and the everyday contexts of life into one clear, biblical pattern.
This is not a program to complete—it is a way of life to embrace. As we follow this apostolic pattern with humility and joy, God uses ordinary believers to make disciples, strengthen churches, and multiply gospel-centered communities across neighborhoods, cities, and generations.